„Durum est nostris absque armis”. Kilka słów o pobycie polskich rycerzy w Gdańsku w 1457 roku
“Durum est nostris absque armis”. Some Remarks on the Whereabouts of the Polish Knights in Gdańsk in 1457

Summary/Abstract: On May 1, 1457, king Casimir IV Jagiellon solemnly entered Gdańsk. He was accompanied by a several thousand army and courtiers. The visit paid by the Polish sovereign concerned the finalization of repurchase of several Prussian urban centers along with the castles, including the capital Malbork castle, from the Teutonic levies with no-pay status. In Gdańsk Casimir received the sums of money that would add up to the sums discussed with the levy, which was gained by the urban center from the special levy imposed on townspeople of Gdańsk. The picture of the entrance and the whereabouts of the royal retinue is narratively well depicted by the sources. The account given by Jan Długosz seems of importance, for he was a direct witness to those events. The royal visit was honored with numerous feasts, as well as a hiking and horse tournaments, when the Polish knights from the king’s closest circle boasted about their skills. Apparently, in taverns in Gdańsk there were breastplates left, as well as other possessions of the voivode of Sieradz Dziersław of Rytwiany, Mikołaj Reichenberg (probably a levy in the royal army), a chamberlain in Krakow — Krzesław Wojszyk of Wójcza, and a chamberlain in Lublin — Jan Kuropatwa of Łańcuchów. To ransom the chamberlains the king officially pled with the Gdańsk council in June and July of 1457.

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